The present invention relates to a writing aid to assist persons in holding writing instruments. More particularly, it relates to such a writing aid which teaches young persons the correct way to hold a writing instrument and which also helps disabled or arthritic people in gripping a writing tool.
Children who are first learning how to draw and write with crayons and pencils tend to grip and hold the selected writing instrument in an improper fashion which may impede their progress in learning how to write and draw. Various writing aids have been proposed to teach youngsters how to properly grip a writing instrument (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,783,657; 2,709,419; and 4,738,556).
More particularly, Rusk, U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,547 discloses a writing aid which consists of a body having an internal bore through which a writing instrument is inserted and three gripping surfaces positioned for the user's three fingers to ensure proper position. Both left-handed and right-handed models are provided for left-handed and right-handed writers.
In addition, Campbell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,710, discloses a writing aid which includes a first sleeve dimensioned and configured for engaging the forefinger and a second sleeve attached to the first sleeve for holding a writing instrument; see, also, Murray et al., U.S. Pat. No. 1,607,775, which disclosed a somewhat similar design. Mockel, U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,660, also discloses a writing aid which includes a central sleeve designed to be pushed over the index or forefinger and an S-shaped clamp which is designed to place the thumb and middle finger in proper position relative to the index finger for writing; but in this case, no provision is made for the writing aid to hold the writing instrument.
In addition, several writing aids have been proposed to held handicapped and arthritic persons grip writing and other instruments (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,501,552; 4,602,885 and 4,606,484).
By and large, the writing aids are complicated in construction, difficult to use or not easily adaptable to both right- and left-handed users. Indeed, so far as is known, there is no presently available writing aid which facilitates the proper holding of writing instruments by both young children and handicapped persons whether left- or right-handed in a simple and yet highly effective manner as herein proposed.